Class effect of statins in elderly patients

Evidence has shown that the use of statins after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is effective in reducing the incidence of both fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events. Since they belong to the same drug class, they are generally thought to be therapeutically equivalent.

However, evidence supporting this assumption has been limited, and prescribing practice suggest that some statins are preferred over others. Zhou and colleagues compared the effectiveness of 5 commonly prescribed statins in a head-to-head retrospective analysis of data 18 000 elderly patients who had AMI and who filled a prescription for a statin within 90 days after discharge. They found that the 5 statins were equally effective for secondary prevention after AMI.

However, the costs of statins differ, as Wright points out in a related commentary, which gives physicians an opportunity to reduce costs to patients and the health care system while still achieving optimal health outcomes for their patients.

p. 1187 Effectiveness of statins for secondary prevention in elderly patients after acute myocardial infarction: an evaluation of class effect
– L. Pilote et al

p. 1195 Are the benefits of statins a class effect?
– J.M. Wright

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